Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 7 October 2021
67. Deputy Holly Cairns asked the Minister for Social Protection if she will ensure that self-employed fishermen and women who crew fishing vessels but who do not meet the current criteria can access the rural social scheme. [48681/21]
View answerOn clarification with the Deputy's office, the question refers to whether people that are employed as crew members on a fishing vessel, but who do not themselves hold the fishing licence for that vessel, can access the rural social scheme (RSS).RSS is an income support initiative providing part-time employment opportunities for farmers or fishermen and fisherwomen in receipt of certain means-tested social welfare payments and, who are underemployed in their primary occupation.To be eligible participate on RSS, a person must be aged 25 or over, in receipt of a qualifying social welfare payment satisfying the means test for receipt of Farm/Fish Assist and, meet the criteria of being a self-employed farmer or a fisherman/fisherwoman. A person who is a self-employed fisherperson on a boat, which has been entered in the Register of Fishing Boats, is eligible to participate on RSS, provided that they meet all other eligibility criteria. However, other crew members who are not self employed fishermen or fisherwomen are not eligible to participate on RSS. There are no plans to extend eligibility criteria at present, however the Department continually monitors all of its employment support programmes and intends to complete a review of RSS in 2022.
